I have been ill since 1993 so much so that I now have 20 documented medical disorders, including depression, psychosis and schizophrenia. In the past 13 months I almost died twice of acute renal failure and digestive system poisoning. I was hospitalised five times during this period. I am now taking 26 tablets per day plus weekly hormone injection. I am in severe pain 24 hours per day. Since I cannot eat what I want to eat, cannot do what I want to do and cannot go where I want to go, is euthanasia justified for my specific case?

Your condition sounds truly terrible. You have my sympathy. It would be deeply unethical for me or anyone on this panel to try to discuss your particular situation in a forum like this. I would hope that you have a trusted friend or relative with whom you could discuss the matter, someone who knows you well, and who could serve as a sounding board as you work toward what has to be your own decision. I will only make this observation: you certainly should not attempt to make any decision about this if your depression is not being treated adequately. What I can do as a professional philosopher is to steer you toward some academic work that surveys and discusses the ethical issues involved. I suggest you read Robert Young's entry on "Voluntary Euthanasia", which you can access online at the Stanford Online Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/euthanasia-voluntary/ The article is mainly concerned with the social policy question of whether voluntary...